


Angels Do That?

by evilwriter37



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Angels Are Weird, Confused Dean, Grumpy Castiel, M/M, Wings, molting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-09 02:00:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8871325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: Cas is acting very strange: eating, sleeping, snapping at everyone. Dean just wants to know what's going on.





	

Dean woke up to a familiar weight over the top part of his body. Most nights spent in the bunker now, Cas decided to stay with him while he slept, which usually meant cuddling of some sort. Dean had insisted that he wasn’t into that at first, but the angel had detected the lie and climbed into bed with him anyway. Dean had argued that Cas didn’t sleep and that it would be boring as all hell, but his celestial boyfriend had claimed the slow passing of time during the night didn’t bother him.

The hunter groaned a little. He hated waking up, even when it was on his own terms and not someone else’s, but he should probably still get out of bed. 

“Okay, Cas,” Dean said gruffly, patting the arm that curled around his shoulder. “I’m awake, you can let go of me now.”

He waited for a moment for some kind of greeting or movement, but there was none. Cas’ arm felt a little heavier than usual, relaxed.

_Okay…_

“Hey, Cas? I’m up. Come on. Cuddle time’s over.”

Still nothing.

Concern sparking in his stomach, Dean rolled over as best he could with Cas’ arm atop him. He opened his eyes when he was facing him, was met with something unexpected. His eyes were closed.

“Cas?” This was worrisome. What was wrong? Had something happened to him?

Dean grabbed at his shoulder and shook him. There was no response. He was definitely unconscious.

“Cas!” He shook him again, harder this time.

“What, Dean?” the angel grumbled in his gravelly voice.

“Um, wake up?” Dean didn’t really know what to say. Cas had been sleeping? Something was definitely not right.

“Mm…”

“Come on, Cas.” Dean shook him again. “I don’t know why the hell you were sleeping, so you have to wake up and tell me what’s going on.”

“Uhgn…” The noise sounded like a protest, but finally Cas opened his eyes.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dammit, Cas, you’re scaring me.”

“I apologize.” He let go of Dean and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “I just got tired.”

Dean sat up too, grabbed onto Cas’ shoulder. “But you don’t _get_ tired. You don’t sleep. You don’t have to.”

Cas shook his hand off and turned his head away.

“Dean, I’m fine.” His voice was rife with irritability. 

“Okay, grumpy.” Dean climbed out of bed, feeling slightly hurt. “Just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“Nothing’s going on.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Dean grabbed for his gray bathrobe and pulled it on. “Now do you wanna come join me for breakfast or what?”

He left his room without looking back, though he knew Cas would surely follow. He was proven correct at the patter of bare footsteps and the sound of the door closing.

 _What the hell is going on with him?_ Dean questioned as he plodded into the kitchen. Sam was already up and dressed as usual, his laptop in front of him and an empty plate beside him. He looked up when Dean entered.

“Hey, how’d you sleep?”

“Oh, I slept fine,” Dean replied as he went over to the coffee pot. “I’m sure Cas did too. What about you, Cas? Did you _sleep_ well?” He turned his head to see his response.

Cas had enough time for an exasperated sigh and an eye roll before Sam piped in. “Wait, hold on. You were sleeping?”

“Sam, I-“

“Yep, he sure was,” Dean cut him off, pouring himself some coffee and going to stand by Sam. He really wasn’t in the mood for the angel’s excuses.  
Sam looked at Dean then back at Cas in confusion.

“But, Cas, you don’t sleep.”

“Yes, well, I did,” Cas snapped gruffly, sitting down at the table.

_Damn, he’s pissy today._

Dean sipped his coffee before speaking. “Buddy, I just want to know what’s going on.” His voice was much more gentle, concerned. “If something’s wrong-“

“There’s nothing wrong, Dean,” Cas enunciated, shooting a glare at him.

“Fine, fine, I’ll drop it.” Dean lifted a hand in surrender as he sat down next to Sam.

He didn’t get any thanks, but that was to be expected when Cas was this grumpy.

“So, Sam, found us any work?” Dean questioned, trying his best to drop the topic. But still, he was horribly worried and confused.

“Nothing. All regular crimes and stuff.” Sam responded, shutting his laptop. “Another day off.”

“Cool. Lazy day! Don’t have to get dressed!” Dean exclaimed happily. “Hey, Cas, what say you wanna get to that Star Wars marathon?” He looked hopefully over at his boyfriend. He loved movies. Maybe that would cheer him up.

“Sure, Dean.” There was a smile on his lips but the hunter could tell it was forced. It didn’t quite reach his blue eyes, which usually looked bright but now seemed dull. Dean really took the time to study him. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was all pale and washed out. His shoulders were slumped as if just sitting was exhausting.

Dean tried to give a smile in return. Something was definitely not right here. He glanced at Sam for some kind of assistance, but his brother just shrugged a little.

“But can we eat first?” Cas continued, seemingly not having noticed the brothers’ exchange. “I’m hungry.”

Dean spilled his coffee.

 

“Why is it called episode four if this is the first movie?” Cas questioned as he looked at the DVD case. 

“It’s because…” Dean trailed off. He actually didn’t know. “I, uh, don’t have a clue.” He flopped onto his back beside Cas and grabbed for the remote. He was glad he had finally gotten around to asking Sam to help him install a TV in his room.

“So is there an episode one?”

“Yeah. It’s a prequel. Came out after this one. It was okay. Episodes two and three were much better though. But damn, Ewan McGregor is hot.”

“Dean, are you going to hit play or just keep talking?” Cas asked in what sounded like annoyance. He set down the case on the nightstand and settled himself on his back. There was a prickly sort of tension coming off of him.

“Um, yeah.” Without another word, Dean pressed play. Usually Cas was happy to let him talk and just listen to what he was saying. That’s what he loved about him. He was such a good listener and genuinely cared about anything he said. He wasn’t used to him shutting him down like that.

_I’m gonna have to talk to Sam later. This isn’t right._

During the movie, Dean tried to wrap an arm around Cas’ shoulders, but the movement made his whole body tense, so he pulled away. Then at another point he tried to hold his hand, just to be sweet and all that, but he got a smack in return. He took his eyes off the screen and looked at Cas for some sort of an explanation, but he wasn’t looking at him.

Dean’s worries grew. The fact that Cas was declining his physical touch made him wonder if he had done something wrong. He combed through his memories of the past few days, but there was nothing that he could tell. Sure, there had been a lot of recent instances of Cas’ grumpiness lately, but that was just Cas being Cas, wasn’t it?

_Ah great. You finally get into a relationship and you’re inattentive about it. Good job, Dean. Good freaking job._

“You wanna watch the next one?” Dean asked once the movie ended. He glanced over at the angel lying next to him.

“Yeah.” His features looked happy and relaxed for the first time that day. “You can put it in. Excuse me for one moment. I need a snack.” He stood up with a little grunt.

Dean raised his eyebrows, nearly gaped at him, but didn’t say anything. Cas actually seemed to be content and he didn’t want to ruin it.

“Uh, yeah, okay.”

“You want anything?”

“No. Nope, I’m good. Thanks.”

Dean just watched him as he left the room, absolutely stunned. Cas had slept, eaten breakfast (which Dean had made for him, thank you very much), and now he was getting a snack. What the actual hell was going on?

It took him a few moments, but he pulled himself out of his reverie and got up to switch movies. Then he laid back down and waited.

A few minutes passed, much longer than Dean thought necessary to prepare a snack. He wanted to go and check on him, but decided against it. That would probably upset him.

Cas finally returned, a plate and cup in his hand. He closed the door with his foot and came over to the bed.

Dean looked at his plate. “A peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Really? That’s what took so long?”

Cas raised his cup a little to bring attention to it before placing it on the nightstand. It was filled with a thick-looking brown liquid.

“Sam was kind enough to make me a protein shake,” he explained.

Dean scrunched up his face a little in disgust. “Dude, ew. Why would you drink that of your own free will?”

“Because I think it tastes good,” Cas replied, a defensive tone to his voice. “It’s chocolate-flavored. Wanna try some?”

“No, Cas. You keep it,” Dean declined. This was getting weirder by the minute, but he still kept his mouth shut about the real problem here. Maybe he would tell him when he was ready.

Cas settled himself onto the bed, pushing the pillow back against the headboard so he could comfortably sit. He took a bite of his sandwich, nodded his head at the remote in Dean’s hand.

_Right._

Dean pulled himself away from watching Cas eat (he was actually eating!), picked up the remote, and pressed play.

 

“Sam, can I come in?” Dean asked while knocking on his brother’s bedroom door.

“Yep!” came the perky call from the other side.

Dean entered the room, found Sam sitting on his bed surrounded by open books and his laptop. 

“Whatcha doing?” Dean asked in genuine curiosity. 

“Just research,” Sam answered, closing his laptop to give Dean his full attention. There was a little gleam in his eyes. “These books are fascinating.”

Dean rolled his eyes a little and smiled, resisted the urge to call him a nerd.

“Those fascinating books have anything on why my angel boyfriend just downed three protein shakes, that you,” he pointed at Sam, “made him by the way, and is now taking a nap of all things? Like, this isn’t normal angel behavior. He’s freaking me out. Plus he’s all pissy and snappy and won’t let me touch him.”

Sam cleared his throat before speaking, “Actually, it is normal angel behavior.”

Dean just tilted his head a little, waiting for some sort of explanation. How was any of this normal?

“He’s molting.”

“Excuse me?”

“Molting,” Sam repeated. “It happens to birds once a year. They shed their old feathers and grow in new ones.”

Dean opened his mouth, then closed it, completely unsure of what to say. That was definitely new information.

“Angels do that?” he finally asked.

Sam nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty surprised as well. Cas told me earlier and I’ve been looking up stuff about it.”

“Okay…” Dean nudged a book aside and sat down on Sam’s bed. “What?”

“Apparently it happens to him every year,” Sam went on. “He’s just never around us when it does.”

“Molting?” Dean was just so shocked and confused he didn’t know what to say.

“Yeah. He can’t just keep the same feathers for his entire life. I had a suspicion that angels molted.”

“Okay. So why the hell is it making him act all weird and bitchy?”

“It’s supposed to be a tiring and painful process,” Sam answered. “That’s why he has to eat and sleep.”

“Hold on,” Dean interrupted, lifting a hand. “You said painful? Like, Cas is hurting?”

Sam nodded, looking a little grim. “But he’ll be okay. It only lasts a few days.”

Dean scrubbed a hand through his hair, stress tightening his movement. Why hadn’t Cas just told him?

“He’s in pain and he didn’t tell me?” Dean questioned, mostly to himself. “Why the hell didn’t he just tell me?”

Sam actually had an answer for that. “He said he didn’t know how to explain it to you.”

“But he explained it to you?” Now he was feeling a spark of jealousy. 

“Dude, relax.” Sam patted Dean on the shoulder, obviously noticing how worked up he was getting. “He didn’t actually say all that much to me. Mostly just said it wasn’t that different from birds. I had to look most of this up.”

“Oh.” That made Dean feel better. Actually, this whole conversation was making Dean feel better. There wasn’t anything wrong with Cas and he would be back to his old self in a few days.

Sam looked down and rubbed at the back of his neck. There was a hint of red in his cheeks.

_Oh great. What else is there?_

“And uh, most things say that a mate will help with grooming and preening,” Sam stated rather awkwardly.

“So I’m his mate now?” Dean questioned in disbelief.

“Well, I mean, that’s what it said about birds, not angels,” Sam clarified, looking back at Dean. “But I’m sure that Cas would really appreciate the help.”

“Never in my life did I think I would hear my brother tell me to preen an angel’s wings.” It hit him just how bizarre this conversation was, even for them.

“Yeah, well, a few a few years ago I never thought you would be dating one, so…” Sam just shrugged. 

“Fair point.” Dean patted Sam good-naturedly on the knee before rising. “Thanks for telling me all this. I was getting really worried,” he admitted.

“Of course you were, you big sap.”

“I am not-“ Dean didn’t finish, as Sam was just giving him a look that dared him to argue. “Okay, yeah, I have feelings,” Dean said in exasperation. “Now what do you think Cas would like for dinner?”

 

Cas woke slowly, reluctantly. He was aching everywhere. Most acutely was the pain in his wings, though they weren’t even on this plane.

He was hungry and thirsty too, sensations he would never grow used to though he suffered through them once a year. He didn’t know how humans dealt with it day after day.

He made himself open his eyes and roll onto his back. He wanted to sleep more, but he really did need to eat.

With a heavy sigh he climbed out of Dean’s bed. He reached his arms up high in a stretch and cracked a yawn. He was thankful for Dean letting him sleep rather than bothering him about it. He really hadn’t meant to be so irritable, but it was hard to keep his temper at bay when he felt like this.

Cas left the dark bedroom, blinking against the lights in the hallway. Once adjusted, he headed towards the kitchen. There was a lovely smell wafting towards him and his stomach growled in response.

_Please tell me Dean made dinner._

“Good evening, sunshine!” Dean greeted him cheerily as he entered the room. Cas was surprised as the man practically pranced up to him and planted a kiss on his lips. Before Cas could properly react, Dean was at the stove, tending over something that was sizzling. “Have a seat. Dinner’s almost ready. Was gonna bring it to you in bed, but seeing that you’re up.”

“Thank you, Dean.” Cas felt a smile break through his gloomy mood. He sat and folded his hands in his lap. He was pleasantly surprised. Dean was nice to him, but not usually this nice, and with how Cas had been treated everyone today, this was definitely unexpected.

_Perhaps I should apologize._

“Dean, I’m-“

“Thirsty?” Dean cut in. “Yeah hold on and let me grab you a beer. No, wait. Water would probably be better for you.” He opened the fridge and brought out a bottle of water, then placed it on the table in front of Cas. “There you go!”

“Thank you, Dean.” He looked down, feeling a little guilty. He hadn’t done anything recently to deserve Dean’s kindness.

There was a clattering of plates and the spatula scraping against the pan.

“Burgers and fries,” Dean announced triumphantly, coming back over with a plate in each hand. “Nothing fancy, but I thought you would like it.” He placed it in front of Cas with a beaming smile.

The angel had it in him to meet Dean’s gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he simply stated.

Dean shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. “No, Cas,” he began as he sat across from him. “No need to apologize. I understand.”

_Oh, I see._

“So you spoke with Sam, then?”

Dean nodded as he picked up his burger with two hands. “Yep. And I can see why something like that would be hard for you to explain to me ‘cause you know…” He paused, evidently searching for words, “I’m me.” He took a big bite out of his burger, closed his eyes in obvious contentment. Cas couldn’t help being a little amused at how much Dean enjoyed food.

“And you understand what molting is?” Cas questioned. He just wanted to make entirely sure that Dean understood.

Dean swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. Shedding old feathers, growing new ones. Makes you hungry and cranky.” He gestured to the plate of food in front of him. “Speaking of which, eat up.”

Cas felt content as he began to eat, even a little happy. It felt good to have someone take care of him for once.

Once finished, Dean told him to go wait in his bedroom while he cleaned up from dinner. Cas did so a little grudgingly, hoping that Dean didn’t plan on making love to him to make him feel better. He would have to tell him no if that was the case. It would be much too strenuous for him during this time.

Cas laid himself down on his stomach, reluctant to lie on his sore shoulders and back. He breathed a sigh and let his eyes close.

He was roused from his doze at the sound of the door opening and then closing. Dean stepped quietly over to the bed.

“Hey, Cas, how ya doing?”

“Fine, Dean. Let me sleep,” he replied curtly, in no mood to be bothered.

“But, um, I wanna do something for ya.”

Cas turned his head towards Dean and opened one eye.

“What?”

“Well, uh…” He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “Sam mentioned something about you maybe needing help with grooming?” His freckled cheeks had gone slightly pink.

“Yes, Dean,” he said with a softened tone. “Your help would be much appreciated.”

Cas could understand Dean’s anxiety, as he felt it as well. He loved and trusted Dean, but he’d never shown him his wings before, never mind letting him touch them. Earlier in his life his fellow angels had helped him with this, as he would return the favor, but now he had no one but the Winchesters.

With a little grunt, Cas sat up, and pulled his t-shirt over his head. It would be easier for him to summon his wings if it was just bare skin.

“Dean, close your eyes,” he ordered gently.

The hunter did so without question. He seemed to have relaxed a little since Cas hadn’t denied him.

Cas called upon his grace, felt it surge up through him, warm and powerful. There was a bright flash of golden-white light that soon faded away. In its wake was left his wings sprouting from his back, massive and golden-brown. He kept them folded so that they wouldn’t touch the edges of the room. They hurt rather badly, many of the smaller, lighter feathers missing near the top of them. Many of his long flight feathers were only growing buds, and there was a feather on his right wing that felt loose and on the verge of falling out.

“You may open your eyes now.”

Cas watched Dean as he did so. The first thing his gaze settled on were the wings of course. His mouth parted a little, and his eyes positively swam with awe.

“Cas, you are _beautiful_ ,” Dean breathed.

He just simply smiled. There wasn’t much to say in response.

Castiel turned on the bed so that his back was to Dean, spread out his aching wings as much as he could in the room. 

“Dean, you see those smaller feathers near the top? Begin by combing your fingers through those,” Cas instructed. “Do not be alarmed if some fall out. Those are the old ones. They’re supposed to.”

“Alright.” His throat sounded a little dry.

An awe-filled and intimate silence settled over the room as Dean brought his hands to Cas’ wings. He felt the tension begin to seep out of his muscles as Dean’s careful, gentle fingers moved through his feathers. Beginning to relax, he blew out a deep breath and closed his eyes. He hadn’t felt anything like this in a while. But this was different. It wasn’t one of his many siblings. It was Dean. In Heaven, with his brothers and sisters, wings were normal. Never before in his extremely long life had his wings been touched so reverently.

Cas breathed a sigh, his feathers fluffing out a little. Dean hesitated briefly at that, but continued what he was doing. His fingers were working at the base of his wings, close to where they met his back and shoulders.

“Um, Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?” Why had he stopped?

“Is it normal for an oily substance to be coming out of you?” He sounded worried and confused.

“Perfectly normal,” Cas assured him. “I have oil glands at the base of my wings. You must have stimulated them.”

“Okay, that’s really weird.”

“The oil helps with cleaning and weather-proofing,” Cas explained. “Actually, it would help if you spread it through my feathers.” He hoped he wouldn’t be scared off by the strangeness of it.

“Uh, sure, Cas. Whatever you want. I can do that.”

“Thank you.”

Dean went back to combing through his feathers, hands now coated in oil. The substance touching the sensitive nubs of new feathers felt soothing.

Dean took his time with the smaller feathers on each wing, going through it all gently and methodically. Cas instructed him on what to do for the next layers of feathers, and Dean did as he was told, keeping up stroking and brushing them with his hands.

Cas winced when one of his secondaries fell out, and Dean pulled his hands away as if burned.

“Oh no, Cas, did I hurt you?”

“It’s fine, Dean,” he said in a calming voice. He didn’t want him to be worried for him, “They’re supposed to fall out, remember? It’s part of the process.”

“Yeah. Right.” Dean went back to his grooming.

Cas couldn’t help feeling a little nervous when Dean reached his flight feathers. Those were the most sensitive.

“Dean, don’t touch any of the ones that are growing in,” Cas advised.

“Um, those are the smaller, red-looking ones, right?”

“Yes,” Cas didn’t explain that they were red because they were filled with blood. He knew that that information would only freak him out.

Cas gasped in pain as Dean gingerly touched the loose feather on his right wing. There was a strange sliding sensation and then it was out, drifting down towards the floor. His pain lessened quite a bit when it was gone. 

He sensed Dean bend to pick it up.

“Whoa. This is like, longer than my arm.”

Cas chuckled at the comment. He could picture the look of amazement on his face.

“Can I keep it?” He asked the question almost shyly.

“Yes. Of course, Dean.”

“Awesome. I should get a case for it, hang it up somewhere in here.”

“You know angel feathers are also very useful for spells,” Cas offered. He didn’t mind one of his old feathers being used in such a way.

“Why would I ever do that?” Dean asked in what sounded like horror. “That would mean I’d have to cut it up and crush it. I could never! Not to one of yours!”

“Dean, it is hardly special. I lose and gain feathers just like that one in a cyclical fashion. I don’t become attached to them.”

“Dude, it’s an _angel_ feather. It might be nothin’ to you, but to a _human?_ Damn.”

Cas smiled, now understanding Dean’s perspective. Of course such a thing would be a marvel to him. 

Dean placed the large feather on the bed next to Cas, then went back to caressing the flight feathers.

“Thank you so much,” Cas breathed. Dean’s careful touch felt so good compared to the pain he was in. And helping with grooming was no small task considering how large his wings were.

“Of course, Cas.” There was a smile in Dean’s voice. “I’d do anything for you.”

They fell into comfortable silence. Dean kept stroking his wings even though he was done grooming, and Cas let him. There was a sense of emotional bonding to it. He could tell that Dean knew how big this was. Angels only ever showed their wings to fellow angels. There was no record of an angel ever showing a human their wings. As far as Cas knew, he was the first to do so, and he would probably be the only one. He was the only one that had fallen in love with a human, that had had the capability to. 

“Dean, I love you.”

“I love you too, Cas.” He said it casually, as this definitely wasn’t the first profession of it.

Cas folded in his wings and turned to Dean, grabbing his face with both hands. The man was shocked by the movement.

“No, Dean. I _love_ you.” 

Cas was feeling so much emotion he didn’t know how to show it. So he met Dean’s beautiful green eyes, pulled him close, and kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Let's all thank my sister for typing this up for me! I currently have a sprained finger so I can't really type and she was so kind as to take time out of her day to do this for me. Actually, she requested to do it! I didn't even ask her. Thanks, sis! Love you!


End file.
